A very important matter is the fact that we’ve been working the major part of this project over RED BULL STUDIOS around the world: New York, Los Angeles, London and Sao Paolo. I personally believe that in terms of the multi collaborations and the dynamics of creative sessions, a space and proper facilities, as the Red Bull Studios provide, were definitely a key to be able to work in a comfortable, creative atmosphere. Without this environment most of the goals of this projects would not be achieved as they were. Space, technology, environment, equipment, station A, station B, vocal booths, main room, second room, all this was essential. – Toy

PRE-PRODUCTION

What was your pre-production like on this project?

Toy sent me a bunch of beats, so I spent a couple of months creating these beats into songs. I try not to use MIDI; my studio is basically a bunch of toys and old keyboards to work with. Then we started to travel and record sessions with artists in LA, NY, Brazil, UK, Mexico and some other collaborations in India, Jamaica and China. – Camilo

I am a beatmaker, DJ and producer, been making music for 20 years, always working with MCs and vocalist to create songs and hits from scratch, but starting with a beat. For this project, I took out all my triple “A stash” of beats, knowing that Camilo is a great, crafty musician who is very focused on textures. Camilo is simple and has an almost all analogue approach to things, which blows my mind. Also, concept-wise, he always finds the right startup idea for lyrics and themes. We’ve known each other for more than 15 years, and have respected each other’s careers since day one. When recording, we know exactly what the other is good for. We capitalize on that fact, understanding that I can take the lead on some things and that he can take the lead on the next thing. I definitely think that this project was possible because of our past experiences of creating records: from A&R to production, to mixing, to playing the bass or keyboards, and programming the right drums, or looking for the right sample. – Toy

PRODUCTION

What kind of sound were you looking for and how did you achieve it?

Well it is a mix between what Toy does and my sound. I guess we both share the passion for the dance floor. I’m way more lo-fi than Toy, so that has been really exciting. Toy and Medico are working hard on pulling out the dust of my sounds. – Camilo

About our sound, some people believe that we are on very similar musical paths for the fact that we’re both Mexican and that we came from a hip-hop and sample-based production background, plus Cumbia proliferation. Another key element to our work, is that we found that the outcomes can perfectly show our designation of origin. This project is that – you could currently hear our origin connections with our prior works, but as Camilo pointed out, this time it was with a maximization of our artistic resources. – Toy

How does it compare to your last releases in terms of style and the creative process?

This is a master’s degree in production. We worked with more than 90 artists across the world, so this is basically the mothership of all collaborations. – Camilo

When you do this kind of project, we did both. We had some featured spots that were completed in one take and some meticulous million-take artists. – Camilo

So who were some of the special guests?

Collaborators ranged from Boy George to Sly and Robbie. – Camilo

What did you try to accomplish in the studio that you’re not able to do live?

Everything we record in the studio, we try to translate that for the live show. – Camilo

What were the toughest challenges you faced?

To be honest? The sessions were just fun. No challenges at all. I guess it got more challenging by the time we started doing the legal side. – Camilo

Any funny stories from the sessions that you’ll be telling for a while?

Originally Toy asked me, ‘What if we do a collaboration album and we record it in a couple of weeks and release it in a month?’ It’s been a year…10 studios and 90 collaborations later…. still not done! – Camilo

POST PRODUCTION

How will you handle final mixing and mastering?

We are in that process now. Toy is working hard with Frank El Medico. He is doing the mastering and mixing. – Camilo

What are your release plans?

Release it…or release singles…or just put music out…and tour all over! There is a documentary and some capsules with the release of the album that Red Bull created for us. That was fun, since the documentary shows the whole process of how it was done. – Camilo

Any special packaging?

Yes. Working with the amazing Mexican artist Gabriel Kuri and the man behind lots of Mexican classic album covers. The artwork is going to be killer. – Camilo

Have a unique studio story to share? Email editorial at performermag dot com.

]]>0Candace McDuffiehttp://performermag.com/?p=245652015-03-31T19:57:52Z2015-03-31T11:20:08ZThe beauty that Twin Shadow’s third album, Eclipse, is entrenched in is almost elusive. George Lewis Jr. is forgoing electronic beats aimed at dance floors in favor of more subtle and carefully crafted music. Eclipse’s opening track, “Flatliners,” is the aural equivalent of a lover’s panic attack; his incinerating lyric display transforms into a liturgical hymn by the time the chorus rolls around. “Turn Me Up” is far more grandiose in nature as Lewis’ need for romantic affirmation comes off as immediate and carnal.

When asked about his musical transformation between his debut album (2010’s Forget) and Eclipse, he is at a loss for words. “It’s hard to say exactly,” Lewis casually remarks. “Life happens, years go by. So many things have happened, so it’s hard to put my finger on. So many factors go into change—relationships, physical space.” He then explains why it’s vital to be piercingly clear when it comes to penning lyrics. “That’s just who I am–an emotional person. I don’t think you can have good music without emotion.”

As festival season quickly approaches, Twin Shadow is slated to play Spain’s Primavera Sound Festival, Berlin Festival, and New York’s Governors Ball. Lewis has no problem being candid when it comes to discussing what he really thinks about working the festival circuit. “I don’t love festivals. I do really enjoy concerts, though, because we can control more of the production. Of course, certain festivals are better than others. It’s like anything–sometimes it feels horrible and other times it feels amazing. You can definitely tell when [festival organizers] really care about their artists.”

Despite endless amounts of touring, Lewis now rests his head in Los Angeles, even though New York was his playground for several years. “I’ve been in LA for 2 years and I like it. It’s not the same as New York, but it’s a dope city. It’s coming up but it’s not quite there yet. It’s going to be exciting.” Although he tends to hold LA and New York in high regard, that same warmth isn’t applicable to Boston (where he also previously lived). “Yeah, I talk a lot of shit about Boston, but I do it so people will make it a better place. It has so much potential. I’ve had some of the best times of my life there and I’ve had some of the worst times. I experienced a lot of racism there.” Despite how sidetracked he gets, he manages to excavate a silver lining in New England. “But every time we play a show in Boston, it’s always a lot of fun. People come out and support and I’m grateful for that.”

]]>0Benjamin Riccihttp://performermag.com/?p=245612015-03-30T15:26:43Z2015-03-30T15:26:43ZSo, how can your band stack-mount digital wireless systems as part of your touring rig? Check out the video below to learn more about Audio-Technica’s SSystem 10 Stack-mount Digital Wireless Systems.

Natalie Denise Sperl is the front woman of Kill My Coquette, whose self-titled debut EP is out now. Kill My Coquette is armed with attitude and boasts vital rock and punk with a twist of designer blues.

WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU
Freedom. Fun. I plug in and I have that tone and sound and power coming from behind me; it makes me want to play my heart out.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE
The clean tone purrs. Dirtier tones growl. The Gibson SG gives me that smooth, beefy tone I like for playing rhythm. I use the Big Muff and OCD overdrive pedals through my Vox AC30. I use Ernie Ball custom gauge strings and Dunlop 50mm picks.

SPECIAL FEATURES
None. It’s a stock SG and I love it!

CAN BE HERD ON
The tracks “3rd & Bonnie Brae,” “Close To Me,” and “Sweet Baby Blooze.”

There are a lot of companies making USB interfaces. Some claim to be portable, and are too big, and others while being small, just lack the features required for any kind of decent recording. Steinberg has found a happy medium with their UR12.

Size-wise it’s about a half rack size and relatively light. The front panel has XLR, and 1/4” inputs. Output and input levels are controlled via two knobs, with a direct monitor, and 1/4” headphone out finishing things off at the front. The rear has a 5v USB and a standard USB 2.0 connection that is selectable. RCA output jacks and phantom power selection are here as well. A nice feature is the connections labeled on top of the unit, eliminating the need to keep flipping the unit around to make any connections or adjustments. It’s designed to work with Mac and Windows platforms, buy the real interesting option is the ability to use it as a recording interface with an iPad, as well.

Sound-wise, it’s quiet, and there’s no latency in tracking. Since the input options are limited, it’s not going to record a full orchestra, but it’s meant more as a portable workstation for a songwriter, either at home or on-the-go.

The unit comes with a copy of Cubase AI, Steinberg’s audio recording software. The software is easy to adapt to, complete with 32 tracks of audio and 48 MIDI tracks, as well as an extensive drum loop library. The big seller here is that this plays nicely with pretty much any recording platform: Cubase, GarageBand, Sonar, and Pro Tools.

Taking an idea that may have been developed on the road, or in a bedroom, and using the tracks as demos to build off of, is an excellent practical application for this unit. So for mobile or home recording applications, this is a pretty neat little interface, and it can fit in a gig bag easily. Considering the flexibility across operating systems and recording platforms, it’s well worth the insanely low $99 street price.

While every studio loves the clarity of digital workstations, external preamps often give a color that just can’t be replicated via a plug-in. Black Lion Audio has a lot of options, and their B12A MKII is worth checking out.

It’s relatively simple; 1/2 rack space, with minimal controls on the front. Power, 48V, Phase, 10dB Pad Hi-Z buttons, a gain knob and a 1/4” input. The back sports an XLR input and a 1/4” output. Inside is a Cinemag input transformer, and a Edcor output transformer – in the audio world these are highly regarded, and considering the sound quality this unit has, they’re worth it.

With its simplicity it’s super easy to use; plug it in, make your selections for your application, and it’s done. The only real control is the gain knob. Surprisingly, even with the gain at “0” there is noticeable signal going through it. After speaking to one of BLA’s techs, it’s part of its design. With a preamp, setting an absolute 0 would kind of be pointless.

Turning up the gain, it gets nice and warm, regardless of the input. Yes, hotter signals can distort things and get a bit hairy, but not in an unusable way. Even at these higher gain settings it’s remarkably quiet, as well. Direct guitars and basses have a warmth and depth that’s musical and sweet. It doesn’t tend to color the sound, just gives more. It really excels at warming up sterile sonics. It’s a classic sound, and considering that the API 312A was an inspiration in its design, it lives up to that in spades.

Here’s the great thing: there are so many companies out there making modern versions of classic preamps, usually with a price tag that’s eye watering. The Black Lion unit has a street price of $549, and it’s worth every penny.

Performer is stoked to present the latest video by Brooklyn-based dreamgazers Exiles, for their new track “Circular Key.” The song comes straight off the group’s latest EP, Only Summer, available on Bandcamp and iTunes from We Are the Future Records.

“The video was written as a nod to a lot of the awesome lo-fi/surrealist videos of the 90s …it’s like Fight Club meets the worn out carnival mascots at your high school pep rally…also, at the end of the day, just do your f***in dishes, ya know?” – BEN MARAZZI (writer/producer)

]]>0Janelle Rogershttp://performermag.com/?p=245392015-03-25T14:28:24Z2015-03-25T14:26:44ZTwo universal themes almost every band faces are not enough time and not enough money. You want to take your band to the next level, but it may seem like there’s a road block at every turn. If you’re a band with a limited budget who can’t yet afford to hire a publicist or other members of your support team, you need cost-effective tools to help manage the business side of your business, like running a publicity campaign for your album release, managing your tour, or organizing your recording schedule.

Below are just a few of the tools we use at Green Light Go Publicity to help the campaigns run more efficiently while maximizing opportunities. All four receive our highest marks, and the best part is that they won’t cost more than $20/month – combined. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the management that goes into the business side of your career, check out these four tools to get you running like a well-oiled machine.

Why we love it: Hands down, it’s one of the best tools out there for planning a project with a lot of moving parts and various member involvement. You have the ability to create different stages and see at a glance where your project stands in the process.

What it costs: Free. $5/month if you’d like to include background images on your boards.

What it’s for: Tracking news stories to determine who could specifically be interested in your music.

Why we love it: As publicists, we have to track a lot of news stories, and many music sites these days run slowly due to all the multimedia that loads on the page. With this app, we’re able to scan as many as 200 stories on an iPad in a matter of 10 minutes to determine if the publication is worth reading further and potentially pitching a story.

Why we love it: It has a strong social media component to communicate directly with your contact via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn from the interface. It allows you to know what is of interest to your contacts, always have their most current information, and keep all the contact information you need in one place. In addition, you can email straight from the platform, assign tasks to the contact, and make notes for future reference.

Why we love it: It’s incredibly easy to share documents through Google Drive when working on a collaborative project. We work very collaboratively with the clients on our roster and within the company, so we needed a cloud-based solution to accommodate that. Clients and team members are able to edit the documents directly to include any press releases we’ve written, see their reports in real time as we log updates, and know their campaign schedules at a glance.

What it costs: Free.

Have any other recommendations? Share them in the comments below!

Janelle Rogers began her 20 year music industry career working for SXSW Music and Media Conference. She then went on to work for BMG Distribution for 10 years in the alternative music department where she championed bands like Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, the Strokes, Belle & Sebastian, and the White Stripes. In 2002 she launched Green Light Go Music PR as a haven of honesty, integrity and passion for underrepresented artists and labels. She has since been named Mentor of the Year by the University of Michigan, Dearborn, appeared as a panelist at NXNE, and been an official SXSW mentor.*

*This article was originally published by Sonicbids – it has been re-posted here with permission.

]]>0Benjamin Riccihttp://performermag.com/?p=245352015-03-24T19:04:59Z2015-03-24T19:04:59ZLooking to change up the look of your current microphone? Shure has unveiled thier ultra-cool Design Studio (http://designstudio.shure.com) where you can select a new color for your mic handle, customize it further with text and graphics, tap into Shure’s design library, or upload a design of your own!

Check it out now and show us YOUR custom creations on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

]]>0Benjamin Riccihttp://performermag.com/?p=245302015-03-24T17:13:14Z2015-03-24T17:11:44ZPerformer is excited to be premiering the new video for “Holding Pattern” by Unknown Component off the new LP Arbitrary Ambiguity (available to stream/purchase here).

The video was directed by Emily Esperanza out of Chicago, who has this to say”

“My process is very meditative and combines spontaneity with intuitive practice. There are recurring themes and motifs that surface in my work, specifically archetype, sensory deprivation, dream aesthetics, mask & costume, and the eroticized female form. This video in particular features a single anonymous dream character who, stripped of identity, only exists in a series of undefined spaces and warped realities.”